Billions of dollars meant for funding Texas’ public education system are spent on a vast network of vendors, administrators, consultants, lobbyists, associations, and political organizations that work together to squander taxpayer money, according to a new video by the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The third episode in a recently launched video series, “Suitable Provision: An Inside Look at Education Spending in Texas,” explains how school officials and insider groups have rigged the system to ensure that money always comes in, taxes always go up, and there’s no accountability for how the money is spent.
“The Profiteers” details the way Texas school districts steer billions of dollars in lucrative contracts to preferred vendors, contractors, consultants, and lobbyists at the behest of powerful and coercive quasi-governmental associations, like the Texas Association of School Boards.
The profiteers then use the earnings from their contracts to benefit the association’s membership, as well as bankroll a network of political front groups that advocate in the legislature for more and more funding, all while student performance declines.
“We know the three things that improve education outcomes are a well-rounded curriculum, excellent teachers, and engaged parents, yet too many of our resources are focused on enriching the bureaucracy and the profiteers,” said TPPF’s Mandy Drogin. “Worse, the system is rigged to incentivize more spending and more borrowing of your tax dollars every year, which is why taxes will never go down and the education of our kids will continue to suffer.”